"Rio is a younger city than Bahia," wrote Fred, "as it was not permanently settled until 1555. There were two temporary settlements previous to this—in 1531 and 1552—but they lasted only a short time, the first being abandoned in less than four months after its formation.
"The first settlers were French Huguenots, who prospered so well that the king of Portugal ordered them driven out in ten years from the founding of the colony. The governor of Bahia executed the order, and established a Portuguese colony in place of the French one.
"The Huguenots got along very well with the natives, but the Portuguese were constantly at war with them; the history of the first hundred years of the colony is full of bloodshed, not only in conflicts with the Indians, but in quarrels among the settlers. Assassinations were frequent, and on several occasions it seemed as though the local dissensions would bring the colonization of the country to an end.
"In 1763 Rio was made the viceregal capital, much to the annoyance of the inhabitants of Bahia, which had hitherto held the honor. The transfer of the capital was a piece of good fortune for Rio, which it has maintained without interruption. Its glory was increased in 1808, when the Prince-Regent of Portugal arrived with the intention of making his home in Brazil until the declaration of a general peace in Europe.
"The residence of the royal family at Rio was the occasion of public rejoicing, and the people readily surrendered their houses for the accommodation of the sovereign and the retainers of his court. After the declaration of peace, and the return of the king to Europe, their loyalty cooled very materially, and in 1821 came the revolution, which made Brazil independent of Portugal.
AN IMPERIAL PALACE.
"In 1822, the son of the King of Portugal was declared Emperor of Brazil, with the title of Dom Pedro I. The present occupant of the throne, Dom Pedro II., is the son of the first Emperor of Brazil, and ranks among the enlightened rulers of the nineteenth century. The country is indebted to him for much of its material progress; it is no fault of the emperor that Brazil is not yet in a foremost position among the nations of the globe.